Naoto Yanagi
is the male protagonist of the Last Game manga. He is the heir to the Yanagi business conglomerate and comes from a rich and influential family. Because of his wealth; paired with his looks, athleticism and brains, he was treated much like a King during his elementary school days. However, he was eclipsed by Mikoto Kujou; a girl the complete opposite of him, in both academics and sports after she transferred into his fifth-grade class. That was the first time Naoto tasted the feeling of defeat, and after a brief confrontation with her that left him shocked, he vowed to outdo her no matter the cost. For the past ten years, he has been chasing her to every school she attended, in order to keep his promise to defeat Mikoto, his self-proclaimed rival who eventually grew into his love interest due to all the positive changes she brought him. In his second year at college, he joins the Astronomy Club along with Mikoto, and promises that he'll always be by her side but also defeat her. Thus, creating the "Last Game". Background Naoto Yanagi was born on April 24th, 1992, as the youngest child to Mr. and Michiyo Yanagi. His older sister, Ryouko Yanagi, was born a year before him. He comes from a prestigious and rich family, and is the heir to the Yanagi business conglomerate. His father owns many hotels that are well-known all around the world. As a child, he used to inspire himself from his father's establishments in business and admired him in every single way, often wanting himself to grow up to be like his father. He also spent a great time in his grandparent's inn, and although Naoto's father wanted to rebuild it, Naoto's grandparents wanted it to be left how it had always been. Naoto thinks the place is really cozy and comfortable, which is why it is one of his favorite places. Although he visited the place every year when he was younger, these visits ceased when Naoto got older. In elementary school, due to excelling at everything he did - studies and sports, being invited to talent agencies countless of times, and even being considered attractive, he used to believe that the surrounders of his must be treating him like a King. Even though he had an arrogant personality, he was still popular among his classmates and teachers, especially the girls. He was used to all this attention he had gotten, but that changed when the new girl, Mikoto Kujou, transferred to his class in fifth grade. His first impression of her was a "gloomy, poor" girl, thinking nothing special about her, just to be proved wrong afterward; she defeats in everything he's good at, both studies and sports, which infuriates him. He decided to talk to her, accusing her of being too arrogant when it was the other way around. Her nonchalant reaction to him made Naoto confront her and tell her about his family's position, but she bluntly made the remark that his fortune came from his father and not earned by himself, which left him in shock. Naoto began working so hard to beat that he eventually passed out one day while going to cram school, and he was taken in to Mikoto's home by her when she saw him passed out on the road. When Naoto questioned her reason for working so hard, Mikoto explained her family circumstances, living in a single-parent family and about her mother who worked hard to raise her, her mother being the reason she worked hard; so she could become independent so her mother could live a better life. That was the first time Naoto felt like he had been defeated by someone, and from that moment, he made it his life goal to defeat Mikoto and win with his own strength. Although he initially thought about entering a selective middle school established for rich kids, he chose the same public middle school as Mikoto. In middle school, Naoto was in a different class from Mikoto and had almost no contact with her, but he never forgot about her. He was kept busy with the attention he got; he was even more popular among girls and was admired and envied by people around him. Despite that, he never defeated Mikoto in his three years of middle school in both tests and athletic contests. Even though he actually cared for Mikoto, he became furious with her after a minor incident involving her half-awake bumping into his chin after waking up, to which Naoto promised himself he would make her cry. When he overheard two students talking about a plan, who said that whoever would fall in love first, loses, Naoto got his inspiration from this and initiated a plan of his own; to make Mikoto fall in love with him, confess, only to reject her without mercy and make her cry. To carry out his plan to beat Mikoto once and for all, Naoto followed Mikoto to high school as well. Naoto started to spend a lot of time with her to make her fall in love with him, but every time Naoto tried to flirt with her and make moves on her, Mikoto didn't understand it (since she wasn't very knowledgeable or interested in love at the time) and misunderstood and questioned his actions, much to Naoto's chagrin. But despite that, due to Naoto bothering her all the time; studying with her, offering to help her with groceries and walking her home regularly as well, they were always together and had been mistaken as a couple a number of times. But Naoto explained that the idea of them dating was impossible, as he even didn't "consider" her a girl. However, one day after Mikoto got informed that her mother got in an accident, Naoto saw emotions on the girl he thought only had a poker face. Naoto helped Mikoto get to the hospital and comforted her by holding her hand. Turns out, her mother only had a leg fracture, but Mikoto still broke down in tears, surprising Naoto. Afterward, Mikoto thanked Naoto with a warm smile ― telling him that she wouldn't be able to do anything without him. After this, he realized that he was falling for her instead, which would later grow into love. Thus, losing the plan he implemented in middle school. In Naoto's freshman year in college, he moved out to an apartment owned by their father, along with Ryouko, his older sister, at her suggestion. However, after three months, Ryouko moved back home as she felt like she had it more comfortable at home, even though Naoto did all the housework. Since then, Naoto had been living in that slightly too big apartment alone. He also followed Mikoto into Shuuhoku University, and in their first year, they would only sometimes go out to eat and exchange emails from time to time. This is because Naoto had a girlfriend at the time and wanted to deny his feelings for Mikoto. Appearance Naoto is a young man with a tall and lean build. He has blond hair and clear blue eyes, a trait he shares with his father and older sister. His hair is short with slightly messy bangs in which his fringe mainly drapes over the right side of his face, but on special occasions, Naoto has his hair brushed and styled. According to Mikoto, his hair is silky,Last Game manga: Game.43, page 26 despite seeming slightly spiky. He is considered to be very handsome by many people around him, especially girls. He also has a small beauty mark located under his left eye. Personality When Naoto was young, he had a very selfish, arrogant and spoiled personality, only thinking about himself, which stemmed from his status and wealth. Despite that, he was popular among people and had many friends, and he has also always been very confident in himself. He was described as being very handsome, rich and gentle, which is why people, especially girls, were drawn to Naoto; he liked girls and vice-versa, and he intentionally had a very charming and gentle personality around the girls, though he was more casual and arrogant around boys. However, after his confrontation and conversation with Mikoto, Naoto felt like he learned the real meaning of "hard work" from Mikoto and understood the fault in his actions. Thereafter, the Naoto who wanted to become like his father once older, stopped imitating him in every way. He also dismissed all of the tutors and went through a period where he wanted to quit cram school to beat Mikoto with his own strength, now making her his life-long rival. Despite his occasional competitive, serious and annoying personality around Mikoto, Naoto grew to acknowledge the facts pointed out by her and becomes a less self-centered person. In college, Naoto becomes more genuine with his feelings, and starts completely losing interest in other girls and begins to focus on Mikoto, solely. He is happy to be liked and is thankful, and although he was serious about his previous girlfriends when he went out with them and dated them in hopes of falling in love with them too, it was impossible for Naoto so he, therefore, broke up with them in the end, because he felt like it was wrong for both parties. He knows his wealth and looks are a part of him, but he has still grown to not be very fond when people only like him for those reasons. Even though he still has the "perfect gentleman" act around girls, Naoto slowly starts to drop that act as the series progress, becoming more casual and open with the Astronomy Club. Naoto is easy-going, kind-hearted and has great communication skills, to which he has many friends, is able to strike up conversations with anyone, and has gained the admiration of most people. Despite this, his arrogant and cocky personality still remains, though he will push away his pride when asking for bigger favors or when it revolves around Mikoto. When in front of other people, Naoto's gentleman and polite side are shown, but in front of Mikoto and his closest friends, he retains his childish, emotional and playful personality, tends to blush and become embarrassed a lot. When it comes to romance, he is quite poor and naïve as he has been in an unrequited love for ten years. Naoto describes himself as a small child when it comes to romance and his friends describe him as a hopeless and overdramatic high school girl in love. According to his friends, Naoto acts more 'feminine' in his relationship with Mikoto than the latter herself. He can get jealous easily, have lacking composure, be narrow-minded and get embarrassed when it comes to her as well. At times, he isn't very honest with himself and his feelings and can have somewhat of a "tsundere" personality, despite not being an actual one. Mikoto notes that even though Naoto is rich, arrogant and handsome, he never puts other people down and gets what he has through his own hard work. Exactly thanks to Mikoto, major changes do encounter within him, such as, the arrogance of his vanishes away to some extent, thus making him more approachable and less dependable on his father and family business, which is proven when he signs himself up for a part-time job as a waiter and wants to pay expenses from his part-time job. He also stopped benefiting from his father and refrained to use things owned by him, such as his car and money. He is also genuinely very kind, empathizing, caring and has become more accepting towards people and doesn't judge people based on solely their appearance and status, which was influenced by Mikoto. And as noted by Momoka, both he and Mikoto seems to have quite similar mindsets about how they view people, and uplifting spirits.Last Game manga: Game.38, pages 24-25 Naoto and Mikoto answered Momoka's question with almost the same answer. Even though he grew up very spoiled, he has developed a heart of gold, and has learned to be grateful for everything he has in time. This side of his contrast with his childish, overprotective personality that tends to be very complaining, though. Although he sometimes is clueless about what to do, he is very helpful and is shown to be responsible, as he can manage everything going around in his life very nicely. Despite knowing that people have a tendency to be jealous of and dislike him and belittle him, Naoto doesn't really seem to be bothered by this and still treats these people with kindness. Naoto is also honest with others, is good at reading between the lines, and doesn't take advantage of his popularity, as he fondly spoke about his friends to some girls that liked and were attracted to him, so that his friends could have a chance to talk to the girls and so they wouldn't be distracted by himself.Last Game manga: Game.16, pages 19-23 Even though he is seen being almost too perfect, he has no idea what he wants and seems to be looking down on himself and is guilty of having lived a wealthy lifestyle in comparison to Mikoto, as he describes himself "in a half-baked state" to Souma.Last Game manga: Game.50, page 25 However, with the final push from Mikoto, Naoto decided to become a proud man and follow his aspirations and in his father's footsteps. Plot A little while after becoming a sophomore in college, Naoto breaks up with his recent girlfriend, finally becoming true to his feelings towards Mikoto and becoming serious about pursuing a relationship with her after denying his feelings for so long. In their second year, the two becomes very close friends as they had started to spend even more time together. When Mikoto declared Naoto as a very "precious friend" he was a bit disappointed since he thought she had started liked him, but Naoto digressed.He proposes the idea of the "Last Game" instead; it would be his win if he could make Mikoto realize her own feelings for him and he, in turn, he would put a ring on her left-hand finger in which he indirectly proposed to her,Last Game manga: Game.03, pages 37-38 though Mikoto remained unaware of the meaning behind his words. Though Naoto claims their relationship hadn't gone anywhere, he says he wasn't anxious anymore and was ready for a long ride, since he had become a role model for Mikoto according to Shiori Fujimoto. He joins the Astronomy club along with Mikoto and becomes friends with everyone in the club, but develops somewhat of a rivalry with Kei Souma later on. His feelings for Mikoto becomes deeper and their relationship progresses, but with Naoto thinking otherwise. Naoto develops as a person as well thanks to Mikoto, for example becoming more hardworking and less arrogant, earning things with his own power rather than benefiting from his parents. He even signs up for a part-time job as a waiter, despite already having money. After Momoka Tachibana and Souma falls in love with Naoto and Mikoto respectively, their relationship becomes a bit awkward at times since Mikoto had been unconsciously developing feelings for Naoto, though she doesn't understand her own feelings. She had also been avoiding Naoto for a while due to her unknown feelings, but despite having their hardships, they always figured it out in the end. But it isn't until Momoka confronts Mikoto where she realizes her feelings for Naoto, to which Naoto actually remains clueless about since he still thinks Mikoto sees him as only a friend due to his past experiences. Naoto later rejects Momoka in the end, and Mikoto rejects Souma as well. But they become even closer, with the distance between them becoming smaller. They occasionally go out to eat, though both of them call it dates. However, after Naoto's father comes back from Hong Kong after finishing his work there, he explains to Naoto that he wants him to succeed him and take over the company, as well as follow him to America and stay there in six months. Naoto is unsure and doesn't know what to choose since he already decided that he doesn't want to benefit from his father's fortune. He has also been feeling guilty about living a wealthy lifestyle in comparison to Mikoto, which is why he held off his father's proposal. But after talking with Mikoto who supported him and said that it's a symbol of his parent's love for him and that he shouldn't feel ashamed of it since it's rude to his parents, Naoto reaches his answer and decides to follow in his father's footsteps. After this, Naoto begins to study intensively, having to arrange his study abroad term application. Because of this, he isn't able to spend as much time with Mikoto but considered confessing to her after he's done with everything. After passing his application, his father explains that they would go to America right away since this would have to become his highest priority. When Mikoto heard about Naoto going to America from Souma, she ran to the airport where Naoto was because she couldn't contain herself and wanted to tell him how she felt. There, she confessed that she liked him and told him she didn't know he would study abroad in America and felt sad when she thought she wouldn't be able to see him anymore. However, Naoto explained he would be coming back in two weeks since the application he turned in was the preliminary inspection. So after clearing the misunderstanding, they finally realized that their feelings for each other were mutual, and they became a couple once Naoto came back. In the epilogue, Naoto is training at an affiliated company to take over the Yanagi business conglomerate and succeed his father. He marries Mikoto and she takes his last name. On their wedding day, after they exchange rings, Naoto finally gets to say that he won the "Last Game" he proposed in college and gets to marry the girl he has loved for so long. And as he says that it's "game over", he happily hugs his newly-married wife. However, he still couldn't shake off the feeling that he had lost as well (the first game in middle school). Since they married, he once again proposed the idea of a game to Mikoto. He says that if he could make her the happiest she's ever been in her life, it's his win, and if he wins, Mikoto has to stay with him forever.Last Game manga: Game.56, pages 46-48 Years later, they move in together and enjoy their life as a married couple. One night, Naoto wakes up from a "nightmare" in the middle the night and hugs Mikoto. This later leads to Mikoto indirectly telling Naoto she is pregnant, explaining that he is already a father which is why he has to become more reliable. Naoto becomes very shocked because she hadn't told him she was pregnant and then proceeds to cry for about an hour. Mikoto hugs and pacifies the sobbing Naoto and thinks that she wasn't able to grab the opportunity to tell him.Volume 11 extra pages Relationships :Main article: Naoto Yanagi/Relationships Abilities Naoto has always shown to excel at almost everything, academics and sports included. For a long time, Naoto always had top marks in class and was admired by everyone until Mikoto came along. *'Intelligence:' Naoto is very smart, he constantly studied and had both tutors and cram classes in elementary school. He always ranked first in tests and got full points. In middle and high school, Naoto dismissed his tutors and wanted to become smarter by himself. Even though he always had good results, he never was satisfied because he couldn't beat Mikoto. He has a very good memory and learns very quickly. *'Athleticism:' It is shown that Naoto is very athletic. He was shown to always place first in all sports meeting, and he excels at sports as well since he was often invited by his classmates to play football since their win would be definite if Naoto was with them. He is also a member of the Tennis Club in college. *'Cooking:' Naoto has never really been good at cooking since his family often entrusted a house worker called Yae to the cooking in the house. But mostly because of Mikoto, Naoto picked up cooking and has become fairly good at it, since Mikoto helps him over the phone. Aside from that, Naoto seems to be quite responsible as he often did the housework when he and his sister lived together. He excels at and is good at everything he does, but he can never beat Mikoto in anything. According to his father, he has the intelligence that brings him to the top, he's not bad at carrying himself and he has a charm that makes people like him.Last Game manga: Game.48, page 29 Gallery yanagi-child.png|Naoto as a five-year old. Yanagi-Ps-0.jpg|Naoto in fifth grade 008.jpg|Yanagi sulking after he lost a relay for the first time. Kujou and yanagi ps.png|Naoto's confrontation with Mikoto in elementary school. O023-0.jpg|Yanagi in middle school. yanagi-ms.jpg|Yanagi greeting Mikoto when he ran into her in the hallways. Yanagi and Kujou Middle School.jpg|Naoto watching over Mikoto sleep. plan.jpg|Yanagi making his first "game" with Mikoto. Mikoto Kujou 16.jpg|Mikoto dressed as a maid, along with Naoto in middle school. Yanagi and kujou genderbend.jpg|Naoto and Mikoto gender-bent, in elementary school (right) and high school (left). yanagi-hs.jpg|Naoto in high school Kujou helping Yanagi study.png|Mikoto and Naoto studying. Yanagi-HS-0.jpg|Naoto on a "date" with Mikoto Kujou and Yanagi HS.png|Naoto reaching out to Mikoto, seeing her making a frightened face for the first time. Kujou and Yanagi arrives.jpg|Naoto and Mikoto arrive at the hospital. Yanagi Blush HS.jpg|Naoto realizing his feelings for Mikoto, and that "she is actually a girl." yanagihs.png|Naoto blushing remembering Mikoto's smile and tears the day after her mother was sent to the hospital. Kujou smiling at Yanagi.png|Naoto was shown Mikoto's soft smile. Current Yanagi.jpg|Naoto in college Yanagi Hisato.jpeg|Naoto in color on a chapter cover Yanagi carrying Kujou.jpg|Naoto carrying a passed-out Mikoto. Yanagi lends Kujou his shoulder.png|A blushing Naoto lending Mikoto his shoulder. 11.jpg|Naoto telling Mikoto he doesn't intend to stay her "friend" forever. Yanagi .jpg|Naoto on a chapter cover. Kujou and Yanagi2.jpg|Mikoto thinks that she wants to be the closest to Naoto. yanagib.jpg|Naoto promises Souma he won't Mikoto cry. yanagi.png|Naoto decides to follow in his father's footsteps and that he'll go to America with him. Who i am.jpg|"Who i am today is because you were there, too. Kujou Confession.jpg|Mikoto confesses to Naoto. 17 5825.jpg|Naoto telling Mikoto to be his girlfriend, after her confession. Yanagi and Kujou Kiss.jpg|Naoto's and Mikoto's first kiss. Yanagi and Kujou Airport Scene.jpg|Naoto picking up Mikoto in the air after their first kiss. Kujou carries Yanagi.png|Naoto being carried by his wife. yanagi wedding.jpg|Naoto seven years later, as seen on his wedding with Mikoto. Naoto and Mikoto Yanagi kiss.png|Naoto and Mikoto's wedding kiss. 045.jpg|Naoto proposing yet another "game" to Mikoto at their wedding. Wedding Photo.jpg|Mr. and Mrs. Yanagi's commemorative wedding photo. 15 8397.jpg|Naoto crying with Mikoto comforting him, after finding out he's going to be a father. Trivia *Naoto is voiced by Ryohei Kimura in the Drama CD. *Underneath the hostility when they were younger, Naoto has actually liked Mikoto since their first meeting. *In elementary school, during the 50 meters sprint test, Naoto took 7.8 seconds whereas Mikoto took 7.4 seconds.Last Game manga: Game.01, page 10 *Naoto's types when it comes to girl has always been feminine, slim, gentle and cute.Last Game manga: Game.04, page 20 This is why he couldn't understand why he fell for Mikoto. **According to Naoto, the type of girl he likes is someone who is not smarter than him, is not better than him in sports, will not forget his face and doesn't braid her hair in two, which is ironic because he was referring to Mikoto.Last Game manga: Game.01, page 30 *When Naoto ran into Mikoto during middle school, she forgot how he looked like.Last Game manga: Game.01, pages 27-28 *Naoto was seen being in almost every single picture Mikoto was in when they attended high school.Last Game manga: Game.27, page 15 *Throughout middle and high school, Naoto always got chocolate and gifts from girls at Valentine's Day, but Mikoto is the only girl who Naoto has given chocolate to. *According to Mikoto, Naoto and his family likes offering other people food.Last Game manga: Game.52, page 24 And the majority of the times Naoto took out Mikoto, they went to eat. *Everytime Naoto got a new girlfriend, he showed every single one of them to Mikoto because he desperately tried to deny his feelings for her. *In middle school, he saw a number of girls he rejected were a number of "medals" he had gotten. But now, he absolutely despises rejecting other girls and feels bad doing so. *As seen by Mikoto several times, he has some sort of habit of crouching down. He usually does it when feeling embarrassed, usually when it revolves around her. *His standards in love are said to be quite low.Last Game manga: Game.56.5, page 16 *Naoto admits him following Mikoto everywhere is a bit stalkerish (but won't admit it because he wants to "protect" his heart). However, he is indeed a bit of a stalker as noted by Souma, as he supposedly tracked Mikoto down through GPS once when she was alone with Souma.Last Game manga: Game.55.5, page 9 *His friends from elementary- and middle school think it's somewhat funny that the Naoto, who always said cheesy lines to girls back in middle school, now gets "played" around by Mikoto.Last Game manga: Game.56.5, page 11 *Naoto tends to become very emotional while drunk and cries a lot. *Naoto and Mikoto got married on June 15, 2019.Stated in the author's tweet. Since Naoto and Mikoto are 27 years old at that time, they should be born in 1992. *When Naoto picked up Mikoto in the air after she confessed to him at the airport, Naoto's father took a picture of the scene. **The same picture was shown at their wedding at the photo gallery. *When Naoto brought up the topic of a wedding ceremony, Mikoto's words were only "I don't mind", so Naoto was the one who almost organized the whole wedding, which he complained about. However, according to Mikoto, he did seem to enjoy coordinating everything, though he won't admit it. *His family members made a bet that Naoto would cry upon seeing Mikoto at their wedding. They were right but says that it wasn't much of a bet since all of them knew that he would cry. Quotes *"Let's bid for Last Game... Kujou."Last Game manga: Game.01, page 2 *"Ahah, that's annoying. Because she never cares about me. People I've met so far, good or bad alike, all feel something toward me. She does nothing but look ahead. Look at me, then I will let you know, I will win you over. I want your eyes to see only me..."Last Game manga: Game.02, pages 34-36 (Naoto, about Mikoto) *''If I win, should be the moment when I place a ring on your left-hand finger... Kujou." (Naoto, to Mikoto; about the "Last Game"). *"''I've been chasing her for ten years... Forget it, already... Wherever you go, I will follow you."Last Game manga: Game.04, page 31 (Naoto, about Mikoto) *"I knew it all along... No matter what happens, she's the one I want. Even if I hurt others, I won't give up on her... I can't help it. That's just how love is."Last Game manga: Game.22, pages 23-26 (Naoto, about Mikoto) *"Through things like hard work, you became cute. Didn't you? I think that's really amazing." (Naoto, to Momoka) *"You shouldn't try to solve and figure out everything all at once. Wouldn't it be better to focus on what's right in front of you?"Last Game manga: Game.41, page 20 (Naoto, to Mikoto) *''I'm not gonna run away anymore... Well, honestly, I feel anxious and I'm totally not confident."''Last Game manga: Game.55, page 27 (Naoto to Mikoto, about him going to America). *"I'm sure everyone is meant to find and connect with someone."Last Game manga: Game.56, page 35 References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Yanagi Family Category:Astronomy Club